Mount Vernon’s One and Only Record Store: An Interview with Fat Dog Vinyl Owner, Phil Hicks

Thursday evening, the bubbly and earnest Phil Hicks arrived at Farr Hall, with a swag bag of merchandise and an infectious positive demeanor. One could say that Phil “moonlights” as a record store owner alongside his primary job as a pharmacist, but his salesmaking skills translate seamlessly to his storefronting. Running a record store seems second nature to Phil, pairing perfectly with his love of sharing, listening to, and learning from music. Fat Dog Vinyl began as, and continues to be, a grassroots operation fueled by passion. “We run a pretty tight ship [at Fat Dog Vinyl]. It started out with my wife, Jennifer, our two kids, and myself,” Phil remarks. It is imperative to mention Fat Dog’s namesake, the Hicks family Portuguese Water Dog, Moxie. It’s almost as though Kenyon’s feline mascot (may he rest in peace) reincarnated and worked herself back into our community. The camaraderie Hicks and his team have extended to WKCO says just as much. 

So, I sat down with Phil this Thursday evening and he told me the story of Fat Dog, Mount Vernon’s newest and only record store.

(This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.)

Carol: When did y’all officially open?

Phil: Black Friday of 2022, to capitalize on the biggest shopping day of the year, of course. So we’ve been open almost five months now. We started working on the store, painting, building, and all that around august. We opened sooner than we should’ve, but it worked out very well. It was such a time crunch to get everything finished and meet that Black Friday deadline. It’s all still a work in progress. 

Carol: When was Fat Dog conceptualized?

Phil: That is a great question, and I don’t know if I can give you a direct answer. I’ve always loved music–I’ve always collected albums. Our youngest, Luca, is 14 now, and he plays travel soccer, so we travel all over Ohio and, every town we went to, he and a couple guys on the team would stop at record stores. We would pop into local record shops, look around, and then one day I just had this epiphany: We need a record shop in Mount Vernon. I told my wife, expecting her to say “you’re crazy,” but she was like, “yeah, that’s a great idea.” From that time to the opening, was about three months. So it went bang, bang, bang. 

I’ve always had that dream of having my own business, being tied into music in some way, so this was probably the most logical choice, because I felt there was a need—vinyls just continue to get more and more popular, from its most popular time frame in the 70s, I guess, to now. Seeing the younger kids embrace it was really exciting for me. It seemed like a great opportunity for a new business.

Carol: Are there any specific artists or people who served as a role model for you in terms of starting up this business, or just getting seriously invested in the music business?

Phil: I don’t know if there’s anyone I can directly point to as a role model, but obviously I have my personal favorites that are always going to have meaning to me. My favorite artist of all time is Chris Cornell—I love Soundgarden, his solo work, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog. You've probably noticed the guitar autographed by him in the store, as well as one signed by all of U2. Those ones are framed, and I would never part with them, as much as people ask to purchase.

Carol: Where should someone start with getting to know Cornell’s discography?

Phil: I know you’re particularly smitten with music that has a heavy meaning behind it, and I think Cornell is up that alley. His solo music is very thoughtful and contemplative, however you want to put it. So much so that it’s been a foundational artist for my marriage, always bringing my wife and I back together through tough times. I don’t know anything about him personally, but I think he’s such a special raw talent. He genuinely seemed like a great person. There was this one song he did on his collaboration with Rage Against the Machine called “Be Yourself,” and as simple as this line is, I always reflect upon it: “Don’t lose any sleep tonight, I’m sure everything will end up alright.” It’s such a great song if you’re in a good mood or a bad mood–it just carries you through.

Carol: As someone who is very hands-on in the store, with varying customer tastes flowing in and out of the store, how do you connect with them and bond over music?

Phil: I think you and I have had a couple conversations about this. Music is such a great unifier. I think, whatever genre you like, you can always kind of relate to somebody. Any time someone comes in and asks for something, I try to get it. My wheelhouse is rock. I love all guitar-driven rock n’ roll music, but of course, we couldn’t have a store with just that, so we expand to country, black metal, pop, everything. We have a Christian section a step away from the contemporary indie section. It comes down to treating people with respect, giving them the best experience possible, because I want people to come in and leave with a smile on their face. When we’re dealing with college students who leave town to go home, I want them to go home and talk to their buddies and say: “You wouldn’t believe this record shop we have where I go to school.” When I first started buying albums, of course, I bought what I liked, but I also looked for jazz, blues, and rap. I’m just trying to get this cross-section of music that will appeal to everyone. And if somebody walks in and I don’t have it, I’ll get it for them.

Carol: Is it through your customers that you primarily gather the knowledge of what to stock the store with?

Phil: Yes, along with following the charts and what bands are selling now. I also go to different record shops and see what they’re stocking. But there really hasn’t been a defining genre within the store. I thought a lot of Van Halen would sell, but they’re kind of just sitting there. But there’s lots of Phoebe bridgers selling out! It’s just been a lot of surprises…and a lot of successes.

Carol: What are your three desert island albums?

Phil: Of course, I love Chris Cornell. I’m gonna take the first Audioslave album, then I’m going to take Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue, and Radiohead’s OK Computer. I don’t know if I’ll have those same three in the morning but that’s my answer right now.

Hicks and the Fat Dog Vinyl team have gone above and beyond in embracing the Kenyon community, demonstrating a genuine commitment to working with WKCO. Their approach can even be considered a valuable learning experience in Marketing, PR, and Management for student participants. The executive board members have expertly leveraged their understanding of the youth's music culture, helping to curate the store with the latest and most promising up-and-coming artists. FDV has been open to entertainment-based collaborations as well. They continue to encourage Kenyon bands and music folk to do sidewalk shows at FDV and record podcast episodes dedicated to rambling about & intellectualizing about their favorite albums for the Fat Dog Vinyl Podcast.  Check it out here!

The journey of Fat Dog Vinyl, from its grassroots beginnings to its successful opening, is a testament to Phil’s vision and determination, as well as the eagerness, passion, and intelligence that encases Kenyon’s campus. He saw an opportunity to fill a void in the community and turned it into a reality with the support of his family and the love for music that drives him.